The present invention relates to the dispensing of attachments and more particularly to an apparatus for dispensing attachments from continuously connected ladder stock.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 3,875,648, which is incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a fastener attachment apparatus and method for separating a fastener attachment device comprising two end bars and a filament coupled therebetween from stock comprising two undivided and continuous side members and a plurality of cross links coupled therebetween and dispensing the devices through one or more slotted needles by pushing an end bar of the device through a slot in the needle. In addition, there is disclosed a fastener attachment apparatus and method for simultaneously pushing each of the two end bars of a fastener attachment device through two slotted needles with the filament between the end bars extending through the slot of each of the needles and between the needles.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,039,078, which is also incorporated herein by reference, there are disclosed several different types of attachments which are fabricated as part of continuously connected ladder stock. In each instance, the attachment has an H-shape, and the ladder stock is formed from two elongated and continuous plastic side members coupled together by a plurality of plastic cross links, the cross links preferably being equidistantly spaced. The stock may be produced from flexible plastics material including nylon, polypropylene and other similar materials by molding or by stamping. Either manually or with the aid of specifically designed devices, individual attachments may be dispensed from the ladder stock to couple buttons to fabric, merchandising tags to articles of commerce, or, in general, any two desired articles. In those instances where the dispensing device has dual needles, the attachments severed from the stock can be used like staples to secure objects and items.
In commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,877,172, which is also incorporated herein by reference, a device for dispensing attachments of the type described above is disclosed. The device disclosed therein includes a reciprocatively mounted shuttle which fixedly carries a pair of hollow slotted needles and which moves between an attachment severing position and an attachment dispensing position. A feed belt, which is driven by a pair of sprockets, is used to incrementally advance the ladder stock so that, at the end of each attachment dispensing cycle, a single attachment is fed into the needles at the attachment severing location. Once the attachment has been fed into the pair of needles, a slidably mounted knife blade severs the attachment from the remainder of the ladder stock, and the shuttle is moved to the attachment dispensing location where the needles are aligned with a pair of plungers. The plungers are then inserted into the needles to expel the attachment therefrom. Thereafter, the plungers retract and the shuttle moves back into the attachment severing location to accept another attachment. The shuttle, feed belt, knife blade and plungers are mounted to a head member. The head member is driven between an attachment dispensing position and a withdrawn position by an electric motor driven assembly.
In commonly assigned U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/025,044, and corresponding published PCT Application No. PCT/US94/01855, which are both also incorporated herein by reference, there is disclosed a device for dispensing plastic attachments of the type which are formed as part of a roll of continuously connected ladder stock. In one embodiment, the device includes a pair of hollow slotted needles each having a tip, a rear end and a longitudinal axis. A feed wheel, placed proximate to the rear ends of the pair of needles, is used to feed individual attachments of a roll of ladder stock into said pair of needles through their respective rear ends at angles relative to the longitudinal axes thereof. Once inserted into the needles, an attachment is severed from the remainder of the ladder stock by a knife and is then expelled from the needles by a pair of ejector rods movable along the longitudinal axes of the pair of needles. Because attachments are fed into the pair of needles at angles relative to their longitudinal axes, no shuttling of the needles between an attachment feeding position and an attachment ejecting position is required. The pair of needles, the feed wheel, the knife, and the pair of ejector rods are all mounted on a vertically movable head member. An electric motor assembly is used to move the head member between an attachment dispensing position and a withdrawal position. The vertical movement of the head member drives the operation of the feed wheel, the knife and the ejector rods.
Another pertinent patent is commonly assigned U.S. Pat. No. 4,533,076. This patent, which is also incorporated herein by reference, discloses another device for dispensing attachments from continuously connected ladder stock.